Lion safari in Zambia

Kafue National Park’s Busanga Plains, where Wilderness Shumba and Busanga Bush Camp are located, stands out as one of Zambia’s best lion safari destinations, due to the quality and consistency of sightings. The seasonal plains are home to large numbers of red lechwe and puku – and where there is abundant prey, there are predators, with Busanga particularly renowned for large lion prides. 

Here, what sets a lion safari in Busanga apart is the landscape. During the dry season, when our camps operate, the plains are vast expanses of grassland dotted with channels, palms and isolated trees, making lions considerably easier to spot than in many other safari destinations. The open terrain also creates excellent opportunities to examine pride dynamics, spend extended time photographing lions, and watch interactions with cubs. 

Kafue also offers a particularly wild and uncrowded safari experience. Despite being one of Africa’s largest national parks, it receives relatively few visitors, and the small number of camps and lodges in the Busanga area means lion sightings are often enjoyed completely alone. Combine this with golden light, early-morning mist and experienced guides who know the individual prides and their territories, and you have a perfect recipe for an outstanding Zambian lion safari.

When is the best time to see lions in Zambia?

For the best lion safari in Zambia, June to October is when you should plan a visit to Kafue National Park. This is when the camps in the Busanga Plains are open seasonally, and the marshy plains transform into open grassland. With the plains inaccessible during the rainy summer months between November and May, it is always a surprise to see how the lion pride dynamics in the area have changed at the start of the season. 

What type of lion safaris can you do in Zambia?

From Wilderness Shumba and Busanga Bush Camp in Kafue National Park, inclusive morning and afternoon game drives offer the best chances of seeing lions on your safari. In an open 4x4 vehicle you are able to cover big distances in search of prides and other wildlife and the open landscape is particularly well suited to game viewing. Private vehicles and guides can also be arranged, and are especially recommended for avid lion photographers.

Walking safaris are also possible, although guides will usually choose areas away from known or suspected lion locations, allowing you to experience the smaller details of the Kafue ecosystem on foot. You might follow animal tracks and identify scat, discover insects, butterflies and animal homes, and see wildlife such as puku, lechwe, warthogs and an exceptional variety of birds. 

Are lions sightings guaranteed in Zambia?

No lion sighting can ever be 100% guaranteed, as wildlife is free to roam and animals are never completely predictable. However, Kafue National Park’s Busanga Plains offers some of the most reliable lion safaris in Africa. The area is renowned for its large prides, abundant prey and during the dry season when Wilderness operates its camps in Busanga, wildlife becomes increasingly concentrated on the plains as water sources elsewhere progressively dry out. The resident Wilderness safari guides, many of whom have been working in this area for close on 20 years, are familiar with the movements and territories of the resident prides and so while lion sightings on a Zambia safari can never be guaranteed, Busanga is about as good as it gets for stacking the odds in your favour.